Run and Hide
by Coconut on the Rocks
Summary: Carmilla has been running from her past for 10 years, bouncing from town to town. Never settling down or letting anyone in for fear that her past would catch her again. But despite a decades worth of defenses, she finds herself completely disarmed and defenseless against Laura Hollis. Flashbacks to Carm with Elle here and there. Warning: scars, torture, death, extreme homophobia
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! I'm Coconut or Coco or whatever. This is my first time posting on here, but I really hope you like this first chapter and I'm actually already done with Chapter 2, so that ought to be up soon. **

**rather unfortunately, I don't own anything :'( oh well...**

**warnings: Burning, Electroshock, Whipping via belt, Character death, General Abuse, **

**If you like this, fav, follow and all that. Any questions, message me. Here we go!**

* * *

_It's always smells so damp in here. Probably a side effect of being so far underground._

_The older of the two women pushed the younger, still just a teen, roughly into the solitary wooden chair._

_It's also always been very dark. Probably because there is only a small fire in the corner bringing in any illumination._

_The woman tightened the braces around the teen's upper arms, leaving her forearms and hands free to move. But she knew better and kept her hands on the ends of the armrests._

_The chair wasn't entirely uncomfortable. Solid wood, but worn from use. There were worse things the teen could have been stuck sitting in._

_The woman then went to the fire and pulled out two lengths of thin chain. One end of each of the foot long chains were cool, but the rest blazed with heat._

_Staring at the red hot chains, the teen simply sat and waited. She knew what was going to happen. This was a regular Saturday afternoon for them. No sense in trying to fight at this point, that would only make the inevitable worse._

_The woman hooked the chains to nails on the sides of the arm rests. Then she paused, holding the chains just off to the side. The teen could feel the heat from the chains scalding her skin, making her scarred wrists sweat._

_The woman leaned in to whisper in the teen's ear._

_"Oh, Darling. You know I don't like this." The teen bit back a scoff._

_"But you and what you do... It's a sin. And that makes you an abomination. I can't let you burn in hell." _Can't say I'd return the favor_, thought the teen. The woman continued, __"Just know that I love you, and I do this to help you." _Liar_, thought the teen._

_With that the woman pulled away from the her ear. She clenched her teeth, determined to stay silent._

_The woman thrust her hands down and wrapped the red hot chains around the teen's wrists._

_The scream was long and loud._

* * *

_**Ten years later **_

When Laura got a call from LaF saying that they and Perry had something important to tell her and Danny, two words rang through her head.

_Fucking finally.  
_  
LaF refused to elaborate what their special news was, but that didn't matter, Laura knew this was coming. Known it for about 6 years now.

She remembered her first year of college. She had just been a 19 year old girl who'd never left home until she went off to college. She had no idea what she was doing, and had called on her floor Don, Perry, frequently.

But Perry was never seen without LaFontaine attached to her hip. They spent so much time together that Laura, convinced they were together, jokingly asked them "When are you two getting married?" The way LaF had literally choked on their own spit had been hilarious.

-  
"_Wha- wait- what are you talking about Laura?" LaF sputtered between coughs._

_"Wait, aren't you two dating?" Laura had asked, sincerely confused._

_"What! NO! We're not!" Perry cried, her face an impressive shade of pink_.

Oh, how time changes things. By the end of the next year LaF and Perry were happily together and in love. They were that one couple that everyone knows is gonna get married one day.

That plus the fact that Laura had seen LaF looking at engagement rings at the mall kinda sealed the deal in Laura's mind.

After hanging up the phone Laura sat back in her chair and thought back on these last 6 years. Perry would graduate that first year, but then continue into med school until she got her doctorate. She works in a children's hospital as a pediatrician now. Danny graduated that same year with a masters in English literature. But instead of becoming a teacher, Danny made it as a pro soccer player. LaF graduated 2 years later with a doctorate in Microbiology, and a minor in forensics. They currently worked at the local precinct and researched out of the Lab they had built under their's and Perry's house. Laura being the youngest graduated last, 1 year after LaFontaine, just 2 years ago. She got her degree in Journalism and currently works freelance.

Laura shook her head and chuckled as she thought of the first time she saw her friends in college. Perry was at her orientation and like always, LaF was right by her side. Danny had been her TA for her AP Literature Class, and man, did she have a crush on the towering ginger. They actually dated for a while after Laura graduated. But unfortunately that ended a few months ago and Danny still didn't seem to be over... _Things_.

Laura liked Danny, she really did; Danny was brave and strong and all kinds of righteous, but she had gotten a bit too controlling like her over-protective Dad.

Needing some space, Laura ended things with the redhead. She tried to remain friendly, but Danny always acted extremely uncomfortable around her. She hoped for LaF's and Perry's sake she'd be amicable tonight.

Pulling out of her desk, Laura swiveled in her chair and faced the living room of her apartment. It was on the small side, although it still had two bedrooms. Her roommate, Betty, had actually just moved out leaving Laura with an empty, and quite frankly, expensive extra room.

Laura got up from her chair and walked around to her bedroom, passing frame after frame of popular newspapers that had featured her articles, as well as various certificates and awards. All of which had been the product of long hours at her desk sipping away at hot chocolate and munching cookies.

She opened the door to her bedroom and walked over to her closet. Pulling the sliding doors aside, Laura looked at her choices. They were just hanging out so no need to do anything super special. But they were celebrating what is most likely an engagement, so she wanted to look nice. Also they were going to the only halfway decent club in town, The Pit. The place was kinda creepy and was underground. Honestly the only thing that made the place cool was their party lights and DJ station, courtesy of techy-nerds from the local Alchemy Club.

Using her "keen fashion sense" Laura quickly found an outfit and laid it out on her bed before going into her bathroom to get ready for the night.

* * *

On the other side of town, a young woman with black hair and clothes to match, stared out the window of the bus as it drove down the road. She looked down and fiddles with the studded leather cuffs on her wrists, an old nervous habit she'd never outgrown.

She didn't know why she was nervous though. She'd been to many towns and many cities. She didn't know anything about this place, but something felt weird. Something felt different, and it was putting her on edge.

With a screech and a puff, the bus stopped at a station. The bus driver turned around to face her. "Okay kiddo, time to get off."

The dark haired girl rose from her seat and stretched her legs, fixing the waistline of her black leather pants. She pushed up the sleeves of her red plaid shirt before putting her duffel across her back and picking up her guitar case. She carefully maneuvered herself off the bus, throwing the bus driver a distasteful glare after hopping off.

Returning her glare, the bus driver grunted out a quick "Welcome to Styria". Then he closed the doors and muttered "asshole" under his breath as he drove away to the garage.

She knew she was being rude, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. Besides, in her experience, people who got too close got hurt. Best push them away.

Looking up the brunette saw that the sky was clear, but sunset couldn't be more than an hour or two off. She needed to find a place to sleep.

_Shouldn't rain tonight_, she thought, _a nice park bench will do._ She started looking around. She'd never been to Styria before, but, then again that was the point. Being on the run doesn't work all that well if you keep visiting the same towns over and over again.

Just then her stomach growled. She pulled her wallet out of her duffel bag and checked for any money.

$1.43. Shit. _Or should I just..?_ She thought reaching into her duffle for a heavy locked box.

"No" she said aloud. That money was only for emergencies now.

"Looks like I need to find a city corner" she mumbled to herself.

With that she hefted her duffel bag and grabbed her guitar. With one last huff of distaste, she turned and made for the city center.

* * *

_Feeling her flesh singe and burn, the teen tried to calm her screams._

_It was always like this. She'd vow to stay silent but the second the burning chains came down her mouth erupted in a blood curdling scream of pain._

_She knew the backs her wrists would be scarred. __**Again.**_

_She was no stranger to scars, her body was covered in them. But the woman was smart enough to keep all of the teen's scars where they were easily covered. Her wrists were the trickiest to cover, but her cuffs did the job._

_The teen wasn't bothered by a fresh set of scars. She was simply happy she had been allowed to keep her hands palm-down. The inverse would have been even more excruciating._

_The teen's eyes stung with tears she refused to shed. She would not cry in front of her. The teen looked up and glared through her pain._

_"Surely Darling. You must understand."_

_"I will never understand, **Mother****."** The teen spat._

_The teen thought back to the day she first met the woman. It had been shortly after one of the worst days of her entire life._

* * *

An hour later Laura checks herself one last time in the mirror. She was dressed in a simple outfit, pink-cream colored short sleeved blouse and her favorite pair of jeans. Her hair was straightened and her makeup so minimal it was almost non-existent.

Laura chuckled lightly and thought back to her old roommate Betty. Her roommate wouldn't have let her leave without piling on the makeup and putting her in a sequined outfit.

There was a knock on the door and Laura emerges from her bedroom to answer the door. Outside her door LaFerry, as Laura had taken to calling the dynamic duo, were holding hands and smiling.

Laura opened her door and hugged her friends before letting them in.

"So what's the oh-so-exciting news?"

"Oh Laura," laughed Perry, "something tells me you've probably already guessed, but we need to wait for the others before we make it official."

"Haha yea, you're righ- wait, others? I thought it was just us and Danny?" Laura said turning to LaF.

"Oh, uh, yea. Danny's bringing a...a friend." Perry said, slightly uncomfortable.

And LaF, always the truth speaker and never one to withhold information blurted "She's bringing a date."

"Also Kirsch is coming." Perry said trying to alleviate the sudden awkwardness. Laura laughed at her effort.

"Guys, it's ok. Me and Danny are over, and I'm over her. No need to walk on egg shells." It was true, Laura was over her. There certainly had been a time that she was head over heels for the girl. But that time had passed.

Perry let out a breath she'd been holding and then looked up and smiled.

"Well good. No hard feelings, 'cause tonight, WE CELEBRATE!" shouted LaF with one of the biggest smiles Laura had ever seen on their face as they jumped up and down.

"Calm down weirdo." Perr said grabbing their shoulders and then fixing their hair.

"Control freak." They said giving Perry a kiss on the lips.

Perry blushed when she pulled away. Turning towards Laura, quickly saying "sorry."

"We were having a moment" said LaF with a sheepish smile as they put their arm around Perry.

"Keep having that moment. I'll go get my bag and we can leave." Laura said with a smile.

_Yea, they are so getting married, _Laura chuckled as she came back in to her living room to find LaF and Perry sitting together on her couch.

"Okay, I'm ready to go."

They jumped from the couch, blushing lightly and linking their arms as they all left Laura's apartment.

* * *

Down the street and around a corner, the woman with dark hair walked on the sidewalk, trying to find a good intersection.

It was starting to get dark and not many people were out walking. Finding an intersection with a few small business still open, she plopped her duffle on the ground next to a bench. Setting her guitar case on the bench she opened it and pulled out her guitar.

She'd only had it for about 2 years, and it was still in good condition. During her first 2 years running, she had lived off the enormous amount of money she'd stolen from Mother before leaving. She still had a lot of money left, but she wasn't going to waste any of that. She kept it locked away in a box for emergencies.

She had started singing on corners on her 3rd year, with a beat up ukulele that she'd bought off a homeless man. The man had been emaciated and in desperate need of a good meal. The thing would have only gone for $50 brand new, but she bought it for $100. She may be rude but she wasn't heartless, and she happily gave the man the money.

Sure enough that ukulele soon played its last tune. Her 5th year, she had to put the ukulele down, but she picked up an equally beat up guitar at a yard sale just outside of the town she was staying in.

Saving money in any way she could, skipping meals, skipping a night in a comfy motel, she made enough money to get herself one luxury. On her 7th year, she bought herself a brand new guitar. And now on her 9th, almost 10th, year she pulled out and admired her guitar.

It was an Ibanez cutaway acoustic with an electric setup. 6-strings with silver frets and trim. The edges of the body were black, but the center was a blood red sunburst. Her strap was black leather with white rose thorn decal going down the middle. The front end of the strap had a silver charm hooked on it. The charm was a simple black panther with roses under its front and back paws. The panther was stretched out, and it's head and right front paw was turned out to the side, it's muzzle pulled back in a snarl. The other end had the exact same image printed in white on the leather, and the thorns down the middle of the strap linked right into roses on the panther decal.

If she was honest with herself, she really didn't like guitar. She'd have much preferred bass guitar, and even that wasn't her favorite instrument. And she also didn't particularly like some of the pop songs she sang on street corners.

But banging away on a bass to a punk rock song wouldn't earn her money for her next meal.

And even if guitar wasn't her favorite instrument, she cherished her guitar. She'd put in a lot of time on corners and in bars to make enough money to buy it.

Putting the strap on her guitar the woman chuckled as she remembered a time a man had tried to steal her guitar. When she'd caught up to the man she'd grabbed his collar and backhanded him in the face with her studded cuffs. The man reeled back holding his nose and had fallen into a park trash can. She had just laughed as she walked away.

* * *

_When the teen had only been 7 years old, she and her parents had been in a terrible car accident. They had been hit but a truck being driven by an alcoholic driver who had just gotten his paycheck. Her parent had been killed instantly, she was the only survivor._

_She spent months in the hospital recovering. Funnily enough though, she retained no scars from this accident._

_When she was ready to be released, she didn't know where she was going to go. She had no other family and she was far too young to be on her own. That was when she met Marcus._

_Marcus Dekan had been one of her father's closest friends, so when he died, Marcus took the girl to live with him. She had liked him, he had been a warm and gentle man with round laugh to match his stomach. He had cared for her like she was his own._

_His son, William Dekan, was nice, but if she was honest with herself, he'd always seemed extremely creepy. She'd be sitting under a tree on the grounds, reading a book, and would look up to see him standing or leaning against another tree watching her._

_His wife, Lilith, had demanded that the girl call her _Mother. _She always seemed like she was born in the wrong century._ _She was such a righteous and religious woman that she should have been born into the age of kings and queens. The girl's mother had been much the same, having already started her lessons in piano, etiquette, and foreign languages, but her mother had also been gentle and kind._

_Her father had been German, and her mother had been French. They had both left their homelands and learned English. The girl's first language had actually been German, but her mother made sure that she learned English for school. She had also installed a great thirst for knowledge in the 7 year old. _

_When she lost her parents, she continued to study hard, reading book after book. She learned to speak German, French, and English fluently. She learned a great many things, hoping her parents would be proud of her._

* * *

When Laura, LaF, and Perry walked into The Pit, it was only just getting dark outside and the club was practically empty. The Pit wasn't a big place. The doors opened up to a sunken dance floor, the "pit" for which the place was named. To the left lay the bar, and in the back were some booths. During the day, the dance floor would be covered with small tables but in the evening the floor was cleared and the DJ booth was wheeled in from the back room.

Laura and Perry headed to their usual table, a booth in the back corner, and sat down while Lafontaine ordered some drinks from the bar. Soon after LaF returned from the bar, Kirsch showed up.

"Hey guys, guess what!" He said excitedly.

"What's up Kirsch?" Laura asked, happy to see him smiling.

"Oh not much really….. I just went on an awesome first date the other day!"

"Really? Oh sweetie, that's fantastic" Perry said.

"Thanks Perr."

"So what did you guys go do?" LaF asked.

"What's her name?" Said Laura.

"Her name's Natalie. She's a girl from work. We went out for coffee and I asked her to dinner." He paused to smile. "We, uh, went to that French bistro, you know, the one up the street from the library?"

"Aw that's so sweet." Cooed Laura, smiling at Kirsch and his puppy like adorableness.

"But yea, had a really nice date the other day. She really pretty, and she's so short! It's adorable. Kinda like you Laura." The smile fell off Laura's face.

"Kirsch!" Laura whined. "How come you always pick on me for being so short!" She reached over to hit his arm playfully. She was happy for him though, they all hadn't seen him so animated since SJ.

"Oh come on Laura, I'm just messing with you. Besides, LaF and Danny do it just as often."

Just then LaF looked up and said "Speak of the devil."

Laura turned to see Danny walking past the bar, arm in arm with her date.

Betty. Laura's old roommate.

* * *

_Marcus had been a good man, and had taken good care of the girl after she lost her parents. He had been kind and gentle like her mother, wise and strong like her father._

_She cried just as much for his loss as she had for her parents._


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, here's chapter 2! I'm honestly so excited, I haven't put my notebook down in like a week. if you like my little story, fav, follow, leave a review, tell your friends! Any questions or suggestions just tell me! Enjoy chapter 2.**

**oh, btw, the drink Carmilla gets at the bar, its an actual drink. There's a video on YouTube of a bar tender making it. I still own nothing.**

**fic warnings: Burning, Electroshock, Whipping via belt, Character death, General Abuse, **

* * *

"_It's for your own good, please understand, Darling." Mother said pleadingly._

"_I'll never understand how you can pretend to love me for a crowd, then pull me down here at night!" the teen glared at Mother. "Marcus would never have allowed this!" she spat_.

_Her mother's calm and placid face twisted into a cruel grimace. "Fine. Obviously my teachings haven't been getting through to you. William! Come here please."_

_"Yes mother!" called a younger, more masculine voice. Will, who was 15 years old and only 2 years younger than the teen, walked into the room holding a familiar box._

_He'd started assisting Mother shortly after he first found out. He never even questioned it, he went right along with Mother's Rehabilitation. He always wanted to do the chains, they were more brutal and sated his blood lust, but he always brought in the box. He set it on the table next to her and opened the back, pulling out two finger harnesses._

This'll be fun,_ the teen thought as Will put the harnesses on her thumbs._

"_Hey Sugar-puss. Get in trouble again?" He mocked, walking back to the box pulling down the front to reveal a control panel._

_She wanted to slap him, but her hands were still tied down by warm chains._

_He turned a few nobs and raised some dials before looking up and giving her a smirk. She had just enough time to glare back when he flipped the switch._

_The teen jumped in her chair as a low shock coursed through her body._

* * *

"Hi Danny!" Perry called out from behind Laura.

"Hey guys, you all know Betty." Danny said pointing to her. Betty waves and let out a small "Hi."

"Yea, sure do" Laura chuckled awkwardly.

"What were you guys talking about?" Danny said as she pulled out a chair for Betty and then sat down in the only available chair left, which was across from Laura.

Laura shot a look at Danny that said _please don't be awkward,_ before pointedly looking over at Perry and LaFontaine.

"I was just telling them about this amazing girl I met up with the other day." Kirsch said his eyes still aglow.

"Good for you buddy!" Danny reached other and clapped him on the back.

_It's still funny to see them like that,_ Laura thought as she smiled at them.

The two used to hate each other; they had even come from rivaling clubs. Kirsch was a Zeta and Danny had been from the Summer Society. Kirsch even used to call her "Summer Psycho" or "Psych-society".

But after SJ died in a car crash, their entire group of friends tried to help Kirsch through it. But it was Danny who actually pulled him out. She basically saved his life.

He'd practically flunked out of school and almost lost his scholarship. But she helped get him back on track. _Literally_. Back on the track at the stadium, helping him get back in shape and back on the football team.

He didn't go on to be a pro like Danny, though. He wanted to help people like Danny helped him, so he changed his major and became a physical trainer. He has a nice job at the gym down the street.

Laura smiled again at her goofy friends before turning to LaF and Perry.

"So, are you guys gonna tell us or what?" Laura said with a mischievous smirk.

"Well Perr? Do you want the honors or should I?" LaF smiled sweetly at their love.

"Go ahead, sweetie." Perry said kissing LaF's cheek.

"Well, me and Perr, we've been together for a while, you all know this." They paused seeing multiple heads nod.

"Ok, well the other day I got to thinking. And then I got to shopping and..." LaF reached over and held Perry's left hand in theirs. "We're engaged!" They said excitedly showing everyone Perry's left hand which was garnished with a beautiful silver band with a diamond set ablaze in the low lights.

"Congratulations!" Rang from the rest of the group.

Perry beamed, and said a "thank you," before kissing LaF's cheek again.

"Well!" Kirsch said getting up and starting to walk away, "this calls for another round of drinks!"

The group chuckled at their friend as he walked backwards right into another table.

* * *

Outside it was getting ever darker and the dark haired woman was still playing away. She had made about 5 dollars, but she was trying for a meal, not a crappy fast food burger.

She was just about to strum up another song when a man, around her age came up to her, bill in hand.

"You have beautiful voice," he said before looking her up and down, stopping just below her face "and a smokin' body to match."

_Gross,_ the woman thought

He finally looked up with a smirk, tossing a 20 into the woman's case. _Generous. Pervy, but generous._

He stepped closer and closer, obviously trying to push her back and getting a little flustered when she held her ground. Finally right in front of her, he smirked again.

"How about we head out somewhere?"

_Oh poor boy, he actually thinks..._

The woman looked up at him and smirked back. "What's wrong with right here?" She said as she pushed him down to sit on the bench. She gently set her guitar down before approaching the man.

"Hmm" she said as she sat on her knees next to him, gently touching his muscular arms. "Such strong arms, so masculine" she said, her voice low and sultry, dripping with honey.

"Y-yea, I work out" he said clearly liking the attention.

"Huh, I could just eat you alive" she said, leaning into kiss his neck.

The second her lips touched his neck he moaned softly.

A second later though, he yelped as he felt her teeth bite down. _HARD_.

"Ow! What the fuck, psycho?!" He said jumping up.

"Oh, what's the matter beefcake?" She said lounging back on the bench with a smirk gracing her lips.

"You bit me! You actually bit me! That is so not cool." He said starting to walk away.

"Well beefcake, neither is acting all creepy and trying to get in my leather pants. Go try the next street over." She called after him.

_Dimwit_, she chuckled to herself.

Deciding that $25 is more than enough money to get a simple meal, she packed up her guitar in search of a diner. _Or maybe a bar._ After that perv she needed a drink.

* * *

_The shocks always threw the teen back into her memories. Sometimes they were pleasant, but the others were decidedly not._

_The teen's mind replayed her first kiss. It hadn't been anything particularly impressive. The teen couldn't even remember the person's name. She hadn't known them well, or even really liked them. She'd honestly just been curious about kissing._

_The kiss's only defining feature was that it had been with another girl._

_Mother hadn't liked that much._

_It wasn't even a week later that she found out. That night she dragged the teen, then only 12, into an underground chamber below the grounds that would soon become the site of the teen's later_ Rehabilitation.

_Her punishment for kissing the girl had been a stern shouting and hard slaps. When the 12 year old questioned, "Why are you doing this to me? I've seen other girls kiss before!" she had been roughly pushed face first into a wall and told to stay there._

_The girl heard mother move about the room and pull something off a hook on the wall. She dared not turn around to look, but whatever Mother had picked up, it was jingling slightly._

_The leather belt came down with a loud_ CRACK!_ and was immediately followed by a cry of pain._

* * *

After another round or two (or three,) LaF pulled their little group of friends out to the dance floor.

"Come on, Perr, we've got to practice!" LaF joked.

Laura and Kirsch laughed as Lafontaine and Perry tried to slow dance to a fast song.

"Come on, Danny! Let's dance!" Betty whined at her date. Rising from her chair, keeping her eyes locked on her real target, Danny walked with Betty to the dance floor. Even while dancing, Danny tried her hardest to keep her eyes on her prey.

Laura was dancing, AKA jumping and singing to the music, with Kirsch, but she could feel Danny's eyes on her and it wasn't welcome. She looked over a few times, but Danny would immediately look away.

Trying to avoid her gaze, Laura gently and slowly pushed Kirsch and started to dance away towards the doors by the bar. Safely out of range Laura relaxed and danced with her friend.

"So Laura!" Kirsch shouted over the music, "where's your date?"

"I could ask you the same thing!"

"Mines out of town with family, what's your excuse?" Kirsch said nudging Laura in the ribs.

"Ow, Kirsch! I'm tiny, be gentle." Laura giggled as she playfully swatted her friend.

"Oh, so you can call yourself tiny, but no one else can?"

"Yup!" Laura shouted spinning in place before promptly stopping and starring at the door. Or rather the woman standing in front of it. As she looked, two thoughts simultaneously flashed through her mind.

_Holy shit, she's gorgeous_

_Holy shit, she's intense._

"Come on, where's your date Laura?" Kirsch asked still dancing.

Turning around and finding his friend stock still and face unreadable, Kirsch grew worried. "Hey, Laura, I was just kidding, you ok?"

Still getting no response, he turned to follow her eye-line and caught sight of a gorgeous brunette in a lot of black and a red plaid shirt.

"Ah, I see how it is." Kirsch said as he moved to stand behind Laura. "Hey Laura. LAURA!"

"Huh," Laura said tearing her eyes away from the stunning brunette and back to her friend. "What Kirsch?"

"Wow, you've got it bad." He said with a mischievous smirk.

"I've got nothing," Laura tried to defend herself, but Kirsch saw right through her and she knew that. "Ok, fine so she's attractive," she admitted looking down and smiling at the floor.

"So what?" Laura said after composing herself and looking up at her friend.

"So… go talk to her," Kirsch said as he lightly shoved Laura in the brunette's direction.

"Kirsch stop it!" Laura said blushing, trying to keep from attracting the woman's attention.

"Only if you promise me you'll talk to her later."

"Fine. But later, we're celebrating LaF and Perry, not finding me dates."

"Deal" Kirsch said leading them back to their friends.

* * *

"The Pit" the dark haired woman said reading the sign. "Weird name. Better at least have some halfway decent liquor." she grunted, pushing the door open.

Upon entering the bar two things became immediately apparent. 1, the bar was also a nightclub with a small dance floor. 2, the dance floor was sunken like a pit, hence the weird name.

"So much for creativity" the brunette scoffed.

She trudged up to the bar feeling eyes on her, but she was used to this. She was aware she was attractive, it had always been a problem in towns before, and this one would be no different.

After dumping her duffel bag on an empty stool and gingerly placing her guitar case against it, she plopped down into the stool right next to her things.

"What can I get for you, Hon'?" The brunette looked up at the bartender with a slight Texan accent, she was already mixing someone else's drink. Her name tag read "Hayley" and she and the rest of the staff were dressed in blue shirts with white bow ties. _Hideous_.

"Surprise me." The brunette said, turning away from the bar to look out at the dance floor.

The floor was a miss-matched collection of people writhing and grinding and others jumping like teenagers. Still feeling eyes on her, the brunette tried to find who was staring. Several men were practically salivating. One was shoved by his friend, and low and behold, it was the man from the street. She threw a glare his way and he pulled his friend away to the other side of the dance floor.

"Here you go." Hayley said, placing a red drink in front of the brunette. "Try it."

The brunette did and found she rather liked whatever drink the bartender had made. "What is this?"

"It's got gin, lemon juice, blood orange and pomegranate with a dash of bitters. It's called the "Useless Vamp""  
_  
What is with this place and weird names? The gin is good though_.

The brunette paid for her drink, and then turned back to the dance floor.

She continued scanning the crowd. Her eyes landed on a towering redhead dancing with an almost equally tall blonde in a sequin outfit. But Xena wasn't paying much attention to her date; her eyes were locked on someone else. Following her gaze the brunette saw—

_Shit_.

Staring back at her was a young woman with honey blonde hair. The blonde woman quickly averted her eyes, having been caught staring.

To say that the tiny girl was beautiful would be an understatement. And seeing her look away quickly and blushing didn't help matters.

_Way_ _too innocent though. I couldn't take that risk._

The brunette grumpily turned away towards the bar, but not before sending Xena a glare and a telepathic _Fuck off!_

* * *

_The belt came down again and again, the leather cutting through the soft skin on the young girl's back. Leaving the first of many scars the girl would acquire in that very room._

_When Mother deemed the child had had enough, she placed the belt down on the solitary table in the dank room._

_Mother reached forward and coddled the child, seizing her face in her hands. "Oh, Darling," she cooed. "Oh, my Darling," she repeated, "please know I take no pleasure in this."_

_The child looked up at Mother throw by her burning tears, that somehow managed to sting more than the lashes on her back, and again asked "Why?" between her silent sobs._

_"Sweetheart, it's a sin. Homosexuals are abominations, and God taught us that when they die, they will suffer through all eternity in the fires of hell. I do not wish that for you" Mother said wiping the girl's tears. __"Promise me you won't succumb!" Mother pleaded, "Walk The Straight and Narrow Path and you'll make it to heaven, my Darling. Promise me."_

_"I promise, Mother." The girl said. And she made a valiant effort in the coming years, but it simply hadn't been in the hand she had been dealt._

_The teen emerged from her thoughts and early memories, in the same chamber, several years later. She was still hooked up to the electroshock machine._

_As her eyes and ears readjusted she could hear Mother scolding Will for leaving the switch on for too long._

_"William," Mother warned, "5 seconds, no longer."_

_"Yes Mother" he said before flipping the switch, and once again throwing the teen back into her memories._

_This time to a chance meeting just a few months ago with a short blonde._

* * *

_Crap!_ Laura thought as she immediately turned away from the brunette. She could feel her cheeks warming in her embarrassment at being caught staring.

After peeking quickly, Laura found that the brunette had turned away back towards the bar. Laura could see a scowl on her face.

_Greaaat. Well, sorry Kirsch, she quite clearly is not interested._

Turning away from the bar, Laura looked up to see LaF and Perry dancing, being happy. Laura smiled. Laura tried to get back in to the celebrating mood. She couldn't help but peek every once in a while. The brunette never turned back around.

But half an hour later, LaF looked over, and they saw that Laura's smile wasn't reaching her eyes. Pulling away from Perry, LaF came up and threw an arm over Laura's shoulder.

"Who contaminated your control samples?" They asked.

Laura laughed at them. They'd always been science-y, but they still caught Laura off guard every once in a while with phrases like that.

"Oh it's nothing. Just a little tired I guess. I stayed up late to finish an article." Laura lied. No way she was going to tell LaF the real reason. Kirsch might be satisfied with her promise, but LaF would literally drag her over and put her in the brunette's lap.

"Well if you're tired, you can go. We've already been here for a few hours and I don't think we're really gonna be staying much longer."

"Oh LaF, I—" at this point Laura looked up to find Danny still ogling her, completely ignoring her date. "I love you guys. Tell me if you want any help planning, ok?"

With that Laura gave LaF a big hug, said good night to them and Perry, then went to hug Kirsch. She waved to Danny and Betty. She turned away and towards the bar. She kept her eyes down and determinedly away from the brunette.

But as she got out of the sunken dance floor, her eyes couldn't help but look. Her face immediately fell, disappointed.

_Just my luck, she left already_.

Laura really was tired, and with nothing really keeping her there at the bar, Laura grabbed her bag from their booth and walked out into the night.

And damn does she wish she'd brought a coat.

* * *

_Just my fucking luck,_ the brunette thought for the third time in 10 minutes.

_Just my luck,_ she thought again, _first night in town. It's my first night in this town and I'm going to have to leave.  
_  
She spent the next 20 minutes glaring at her drink. But even as she tells herself to run, run far and fast away from the girl, she couldn't help but feel attracted to the girl.

_Huh, no shit, she's beautiful. But I'd break her, and I can't do that. Not again._

With that the brunette left the bar, hefting her duffle and guitar case. It was cold, but she has a coat in her duffle to keep her warm. But she didn't pull it out just yet. The crisp air felt nice on her skin.

She wandered for a while, trying to find a place to crash when suddenly it started to rain.

_Are you fucking kidding me?! This better blow over_. She thought grumpily. Walking for several more minutes she found the rain getting heavier and heavier. Pulling her leather jacket out of her duffle, she decided she needed to find a motel to stay in.

She turned down another street and saw a head of honey brown hair walking away from her.

_You've got to be kidding me. Does the universe hate me or something?! Of all people, why her?_

Having no other options, the brunette jogged to catch up to the other girl. When she reached the girl, she put her hand on her shoulder, effectively stopping her.

In hindsight, the brunette wished she had noticed the girl's hand deep inside her bag.

"Hey, do you know where I can find a motel arou—" the girl had spun and sprayed her in the face with bear spray.

"AHH! Goddamn it!" The brunette yelled as she fell to the sidewalk.

* * *

_"Ah! Damn it," the teen, 16 in this memory, said as she was nearly knocked over by a short blonde._

_"Ohmygosh! I am so sorry!" The blonde pulled the teen up._

_The teen, now back on her feet, dusted her pants off and went to push her bangs out of her eyes. She was about to let out a sarcastic remark when she saw just who it was who'd run into her._

_She didn't know her name, but she had seen her around school. She was one of the girls she had to avoid. One of the girls that made her want to leave her Path._

_"I'm late, and I was running and I didn't see you, are you ok?" The girl said frantically._

_The teen knew she needed to get out of here. Away from her, before she did something stupid. She prepared herself to say something mean to the girl._

_But instead all she managed was "I'm alright, cupcake."_

_The teen watched and smiled as the other girl fidgeted and smiled at the ground._

_"Good." She said finally meeting the teen's eyes._

_"Where are you headed?" The teen asked, internally kicking herself for continuing the conversation._

Mother wouldn't like it if she found out about this,_ the teen thought._

"_Oh, um, I'm late for practice." The girl said clearly getting a little flustered. "I'm in ensemble for the school musical this year. We're doing the Wizard of Oz."_

_The teen smirked at the other girl before saying, "You must be one of the Munchkins."_

"_Hey!" the girl said before playfully swatting the teen. "You're only like, an inch taller than me!" The girl chuckled and then smiled at the teen._

_Against her better judgment, the teen smiled back. _God, what am I doing?

_They stood like that for a while, simply gazing into each other's eyes and smiling. Finally the blonde spoke up and said "Well, I have to go, but you should definitely come to see our show. Opening night is in 2 weeks."_

_The teen's common sense was screaming at her to decline, to say no and run away._

_But there was another voice, speaking softly in the back of her mind. This voice told her to say yes, to go for it. Take the chance. In hindsight she wished she had listened to the first voice._

_The teen settled for saying "maybe" in such a tone that both girls knew meant _yes.

_The other girl smiled again and started to walk away. She only made it 2 steps away before she turned back around._

"_I'm Annabelle, by the way. Everyone just calls me Elle though." she said. "What's your name?"_

"_Mircalla" the teen said, "Mircalla Karnstein"_

"_Well, Mircalla, I look forward to seeing you at the show." Elle said throwing Mircalla another sheepish smile before turning and running to her practice._

* * *

Laura can admit, after living with a paranoid father for 19 years, she was a little jumpy. 6 years later, the 25 year old was still very jumpy and carried bear spray in her bag at all times.

So when she heard feet rapidly closing in on her, she kinda panicked. And she pulled out her bear spray.

The second after she pushed the button, the woman's words caught up to her. Laura, having realized her mistake, fell to her knees and tried to help the woman get the bear spray out of her eyes.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. You just startled me, I'm sorry. Here look up, the rain will help wash it out. I am so, so so sorry!"

When Laura stopped panicking and actually looked at who she had just sprayed her heart sank.

_Well, there goes any chance I had whatsoever._

"It's okay, cupcake. It was just an accident." The brunette from the bar said, her voice conveyed no pain or anger, but rather was filled with amusement.

"I am so sorry" Laura said again, helping the brunette to her feet.

"Sweetheart, calm down. It was just an accident, I'm ok." The brunette said with a faint smirk.

"Well, before all that happened, I was going to ask if you knew where there was a motel around here?" The brunette said still smirking.

"A motel?" Laura asked

"Yea, I just came into town on the bus. Was gonna sleep in the park but—"

"The park!" Laura interrupted.

The brunette continued unfazed, "—but as you can, it's raining, so that idea is out."

"Well, why don't you just come home with me?" Realizing a second too late the implications of that sentence Laura found herself choking on her own spit.

"Er, uh, I mean, you can spend the night with me" _worse_ "at my apartment, I mean. I have an extra room, you can crash there" _10 points for Gryffindor._

"Uh... I wouldn't want to bother you." _She's too innocent, you can't. Not again. Run away, fast as you can.  
_  
"Really, it's no trouble, my old roommate moved out a while ago, but I've still got the bed and sheets and stuff" Laura said smiling, eyes aglow.

"I shouldn't—"

"Please? It's the least I can do after the bear spray." Laura said, giving the brunette the best puppy eyes she'd ever seen.

_God, what am I doing?_ The brunette thought. "Can't hurt, I guess."

"Great!" Laura bounced with excitement. "Oh, I'm Laura, by the way."

_New town, new name._ "I'm Carmilla, I guess I'm your new roommate." They smiled at each other.

* * *

_2 weeks later, Mircalla found herself in the back of the school auditorium. _

_The musical was okay, but she found she couldn't focus on the leads all too much, though. Her attention was claimed by a certain blonde munchkin in the Ensemble._


	3. Chapter 3

**After several months, I'm back! Here's chapter 3 (FINALLY). I hope the wait wasn't too agonizing. If it's any consolation, been literally kicking myself to finish this chapter (and so have my friends). Also this chapter is nice and long for you, so I hope you enjoy :)**

**fic warnings: Burning, Electroshock, Whipping via belt, Character death, General Abuse,**

* * *

"_Mircalla!" Elle cheerfully called as she waved, "Wait for me!"_

_Mircalla groaned internally. She had been trying to sneak away before the other girl saw her. She knew mother would be angry enough when she found out that she had come, no need to make things worse by actually talking to Elle._

_But Mircalla couldn't deny the happy flutter in her stomach at the other girl's smile. Elle ran fast and directly into Mircalla, almost tackling her in a bear hug._

"_OOF!" Mircalla said as Elle's arms wrapped around her in a tight and warm embrace. Mircalla's own arms hung in the air slightly off to the sides. _What the hell… _Mircalla thought as she brought her arms down to embrace the other girl._

"_You came!" Elle exclaimed, practically buzzing in her joy as she hugged Mircalla. Mircalla pulled out of the embrace and started walking away. Elle fell into step beside her, still ecstatic to see that the other girl had come to see her._

"_Well, I didn't have anything better to do, so." Mircalla said not looking at the other girl. Elle looked at her with playful suspicion, knowing that Mircalla was lying._

"_Sure…" Elle said. Then she smiled again and asked, "So what did you think?"_

Amazing, beautiful, blonde. Wait, what? "_It was.. ok." Mircalla said looking at the ground as she walked._

"_Jerk." Elle said as she swatted Mircalla's arm, still smiling._

"_Fine," Mircalla said turning to smile at Elle. "It was great." Elle's smile grew impossibly wider._

_For probably the 100th time that night, Mircalla wondered what in hell she was doing. She knew she _shouldn't _like girls, that much had been drilled into her over the past several years of _Rehabilitation. _Even if she did have feelings for girls, she shouldn't act on any of those feelings._

_In short, she shouldn't be anywhere near Elle. But here she was._

_And Mircalla couldn't think of a single place she'd rather be._

_Once again being pulled out of her memories and brought back into the underground chamber, Mircalla could think of a million places she'd rather be._

_Her eyes and ears adjusted to the dank room and she felt William removing the harnesses and Mother removing her chains. _Guess the session's over for today, _Mircalla thought bitterly in her groggy mind._

_Waiting for indication that she was free to go, Mircalla rose to her feet. She walked to the stairs, wobbling slightly, and headed upstairs. "See you guys next month," Mircalla murmured under her breath as she stumbled out of the stairway and into her house._

* * *

_Holy crapsticks! _Laura thought as another shiver coursed through her body. She and Carmilla were walking through the freezing rain towards Laura's apartment. And _damn _does Laura wish she had brought a coat. Carmilla, on the other hand, was nice and warm in her leather jacket.

Carmilla could see the shiver roll over Laura's body and could hear her teeth begin to chatter. _Seriously? Couldn't have just suffered in silence? _Carmilla thought bitterly.

But even as she tried to keep up her front of apathy and distaste, she couldn't help but smile fondly at the shivering girl.

Laura's teeth had been chattering for about 2 blocks and she vibrated through another shiver when she heard a slight rustle behind her. Laura turned just as Carmilla set her leather jacket on Laura's shoulders.

"Thank you," Laura said, smiling once again at Carmilla.

"Yeah, well, the chattering was getting really annoying, Cupcake." Carmilla said trying to sound apathetic. Laura gave her a look that told her she didn't buy it for a second, but then it melted away and Laura smiled at Carmilla. She's starting to do that a lot.

Laura pulled the leather jacket tighter around her shoulders, taking a deep breath and enjoying the lingering scent. Crisp winter snow, evergreen trees, sweet French vanilla and something that was purely Carmilla.

Shaking herself from her reverie, Laura quickly reassessed her surroundings and started heading towards her apartment again. "Come on, it's just another block down this way" Laura said pointing.

They walked in a silence that was much more comfortable and actually silent. _Thank god she stopped chattering,_ Carmilla thought. They crossed the street and walked down the block. Carmilla didn't notice when Laura stopped walking and looked to cross the street.

She did however, notice when a hand slipped into hers, immediately pulling her back. Carmilla looked over and Laura had a sheepish smile plastered to her face.

"In a rush to get me home, Cupcake?" Carmilla smirked back at the flustered girl as she sputtered out a negative.

"Sorry, you were going the wrong way." Laura said, again looking both ways before crossing, Carmilla hot on her heels.

Laura and Carmilla walked inside and then up the steps to Laura's apartment. Stopping in front of the door, Laura reached for her keys.

It was only now that Laura realized she and Carmilla were still holding hands. Carmilla seemed to realize at the same time and dropped her hand like it was a hot coal. Laura pretended she didn't miss the warmth.

Opening the door, Laura stepped aside letting Carmilla walk in first.

* * *

_Mircalla, having left the chamber, made her way upstairs. She needed to care for her wrists and then she planned on sleeping until noon tomorrow. _

_She walked up the stairs and down a long corridor. Finally reaching her room, she hip checked the door open, trying not to move her wrists._

_The irons had been removed, but the flesh itself now radiated with heat as it tried to repair the damage._

No amount of repair could ever fix me_, Mircalla thought bitterly._

_Making it inside, Mircalla walked across her room and into the adjoining bathroom. She turned on the cold water and held her wrists underneath the faucet._

_She bit her tongue, nearly causing it to bleed in her attempts to keep from shrieking. Tears welled in her eyes as she clenched them shut._

_Minutes passed with the water running. The pain began to subside and Mircalla unclenched her jaw. She held her wrists under the water for several more minutes before turning off the water._

_She went to the linen closet and pulled out the softest towels she had and gingerly dried off her wrists. She pulls out a tube of antibiotic cream, rubbing a small amount on her wrists. When she'd done that, she wrapped gauze around her wounds and leaves her bathroom._

_She goes over to her dresser and pulls out a pair of sweatpants and changed out of her jeans. She wanted to change her shirt, but that would have been too much for her tender wrists._

_Mircalla walked over to her bed. She pulled down her covers and rolled into her bed. She stayed still like that for a few minutes before reaching and pulling her covers back up to her chin._

_As Mircalla slept, her mind wandered back to the tiny blonde.  
_

* * *

Carmilla's first impression is that this is the home of a child. When Laura flicked the lights on, she was immediately hit with bright colors. But upon further inspection, Carmilla began to notice all the awards.

Littering the walls of Laura's apartment were various cut out articles and different awards and accolades she had one for each. For someone only in her 20s, Laura had clearly made quite a name for herself.

In amongst the articles was an equally numerous amount of photos. Laura seemed to spend a lot of time with the puppy and the trio of gingers from earlier. Carmilla noticed there were quite a few photos of Laura with Xena, hugging and smiling.

_They must have been dating. I wonder what happened…_

But it wasn't Carmilla's place to question, so she just stood there and said, "Quaint place you have here, Cupcake."

"Thanks," Laura said, looking quickly around her apartment.,"And it's Laura."

Carmilla didn't turn when she said "I know, cutie."

"Ok…" Laura said looking down at her feet. She couldn't figure out why the mysterious brunette refused to call her by her name. She was, however, fairly familiar with that twittering feeling she got in her stomach every time Carmilla used a nickname.

"Well come on, the spare room is down here." Laura said, walking away. Carmilla walked past the kitchen and the living room and followed Laura down the hall. There were three doors, one at the very end and two on either sides of the hall facing each other.

Laura pointed to the door at the very end of the hall, "That's the bathroom, you can take a shower or whatever." She pointed to the door on the right, "this is my room." She then turned around and opened the door on the left and Carmilla followed Laura inside.

"You can stay in here." Carmilla looked around the room. Not much was in there, just a bed with sheets, a nightstand, an empty desk, a lamp in the corner.

"Cheetah print?" Carmilla asked with a smirk, pointing at the bed sheets.

"Yea, Betty left them." Laura said faintly smiling and chuckling at her old roommate. Laura and Carmilla just stood there for a few minutes, Laura smiling and Carmilla smirking.

Finally Laura spoke up holding a key out to Carmilla. "Well, here's your key, lock the door whenever you go out. I'll leave you alone to settle in and go to bed. See you in the morning?"

"Sure thing, cutie." Carmilla said, her smirk widening as she took the key.

Laura ignored the heat building in her cheeks and left the room, shutting the door behind her. She crossed the hall and into her own room. After closing the door, she fell back against it thinking _what in hell am I doing?_

A near identical thought was simultaneously flashing through Carmilla's mind just across the hall.

_I can't stay here,_ she thought as she put down her duffle bag. _Leave, _she thought as she started unpacking._  
_  
She knew she shouldn't stay, but she had nowhere else to go. It was raining outside, and she had no intention of catching pneumonia.

_One night. Two tops, and then you need to leave._

Carmilla continued to unpack her duffle bag. She really only had a few possessions, some punk rock t-shirts, her leather pants, a few pairs of dark denim, a couple of flannel shirts and an extremely short pair of shorts for the really hot days. She had her favorite book, a worn and dogeared hardcover on philosophy that she must have read several times through. Rifling through her duffle, Carmilla pulled out her sketch book. She never considered herself to be much of an artist, but years drawing strangers on the bus had certainly developed her skills.

She tossed the equally tattered books onto the desk in the corner. She folded her clothes back up and place them in a small pile on top of her desk. Returning to her duffle bag she pulled out a medium sized locked box.

Carmilla had kept only few trinket during her travels, and they were all locked away in this box. Also inside the box was a large sum of money, but Carmilla could care less for the money. She got down on her knees and carefully slid the box underneath her bed. She reached up to grab her guitar off the bed and put it underneath the bed as well.

She crumpled up her duffle bag and threw it into the corner. Having cleared the bed, Carmilla fell face first into the pillow. She kicked off her boots and then pulled the sheets around her, promptly falling asleep.

* * *

_Elle ran up to Mircalla during school the monday after the play. Mircalla tried and failed miserably to pretend she didn't her the girl calling her name._

"_Hey" Elle puffed as she came to a stop in front of Mircalla. _

"_Hi Elle" Mircalla said closing her locker door. She silently thanked her lucky stars that Elle hadn't just elected to jump on her like she usually does. She was still sore in all kinds of places from Saturday's _Session.

_"Where's your next class?" Elle asked._

_"In the math wing. I have Pre-calc" Mircalla said._

_"Oh cool, I have Trig 2 next, we can walk together!" Elle said smiling like a fool._

_"Uhhh, I..." Was all Mircalla was able to get out before Elle grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards the stairs down to the math wing. _

_Despite her obvious reservations, Mircalla couldn't help but marvel at the warmth of the other girl's hand. She hated to admit it, but she liked the way it felt. She liked the way it made her stomach twist and tighten pleasurably. _

_And that scared her to death._

_But that had been several months ago. _

_Mircalla awoke to the sound of her door creaking open._

_"Darling, you should get up. You slept all yesterday and I've made breakfast for you." Mother said in a serene voice, as she stepped into Mircalla's room._

_"Yes, Mother, I'll be down in a moment." Mircalla said, trying her best to feign a smile._

_"That's my darling girl," Mother said, giving a small smile before turning and leaving the room._

_Mircalla simply flipped back in bed and lay there looking at the ceiling. She had much better things to be doing today, but she had to obey her mother's request. The alternative would be catastrophic and quite frankly, VERY painful. Best avoid that. _

_She stayed for another minute before rising and changing into appropriate clothes and walking downstairs for her meal._

* * *

Laura HATED mornings. They were the bane of her existence. She woke up the next morning and groaned as she rolled over to turn off her alarm. Rising slowly to her feet, Laura began to get ready for her day.

She didn't have a job to go to, being a freelance journalist. But she did have some errands she had to attend to.

After hopping out of the shower and getting dressed, Laura walked out of her room and walked down the hall passed her spare room and into the kitchen. She made herself a cup of coffee and left her apartment.

It wasn't until late in the afternoon, nearly 5 hours later, that Laura remembered. _Carmilla_

Carmilla was still at her apartment, and Laura hadn't heard or seen the mysterious brunette the entire morning.

Rushing home to check up on her, Laura may have run a few lights, something her father wouldn't approve of. Always the overprotective cop.

Pulling up to her building Laura parked her car and ran up the stairs, not wanting to to wait for an elevator. Making it to the door she jammed her keys in and unlocked the door. She quickly ran inside and dropped her bag and keys on her counter before running up the hall to stop outside her spare room.

She held her ear against the door listening for sounds of movement. Hearing none, she lightly knocked on the door. No response. Deciding to just go for it, Laura turned the door handle and flung it open, taking care to keep it from slamming against the wall.

The room was dark as the shades had been pulled and the lights were all off. But Laura could still see the faint figure lying in bed, breathing slowly.

Carmilla was asleep.

Laura looked at her watch. It was nearly 4 in the afternoon and Carmilla was still asleep. Laura wondered when was the last time the brunette had slept in a proper bed. Laura walked out taking care to quietly shut the door to the room.

"Oh, Carmilla" Laura muttered to herself as she walked away and back to her car to bring in the groceries she'd bought.

Laura was in the kitchen making dinner for herself and Carmilla, when finally, Carmilla emerged from her room. She walked out fully dressed and in her boots, her guitar in hand.

"Mornin' cupcake," Carmilla said with a smirk as she grabbed her leather jacket off of the chair where Laura had left it.

After looking at the clock hanging on the wall, Laura deadpanned "It's 5pm."

Carmilla's smirk only grew wider. She gave a mock salute and said "I'll be back eventually."

"Wait where are you going?" Laura said walking forward to catch Carmilla before she left the room.

"Ah, now I can't tell you that, have to keep some of my secrets. Otherwise I'll lose my air of mystery won't I?" Carmilla said in a sultry voice, her eyes brazen.

And with that, Carmilla walked out the door.

"But I made us dinner." Laura pouted.

On the other side of the door, Carmilla walked out of the building and onto the street. With her guitar in hand, she made her way back to the inner city.

_Hopefully I'll scrounge up enough money for a decent meal... And probably a drink._

Carmilla made it back to the same corner she had stopped at last night and she ran through her repertoire of crappy pop songs. Thinking of one that wouldn't give her a headache, she began to play. As they walked by, people came up and dropped coins in her case. Girls smiled, children grinned and a few men gave smirks as they walked up and then left. She couldn't help but notice that the few creepy men that came up had dropped rolled up bills, undoubtedly with a number tucked away in them.

Somewhere around the fifth song she played, Carmilla decided she deserved a break. She sat back on the bench from the night before. She pulled her guitar case closer to her so she could count up her money. Just as Carmilla suspected, the rolled up bills had numbers in them.

_Dimwits, _she thought chuckling to herself as she unrolled a $20 bill and tossed the phone number aside.

The next rolled up bill caught her by surprise. Instead of a small slip of paper and a number, it was a flyer for a local competition.

The competition seemed like a glorified community talent show. The only thing that stuck out to Carmilla was the enormous cash prize for first place. The auditions started in ten minutes at The Pit just around the corner.

_Couldn't hurt. _Carmilla thought as she began to pick up the rest of the cash in her case. Over $30.

Carmilla packed her guitar away in her case and walked to The Pit. Opening the door, Carmilla saw that the bar was even more packed than it had been the night she met Laura. Carmilla couldn't help but smile at that thought of the pint sized girl.

Which was really weird and quickly corrected when a brute bumped into her and then promptly began hitting on her. Choosing to ignore him,

Carmilla made her way to the bar. Getting hit and shoved multiple times along the way, Carmilla grumpily thought _I'm definitely going to need a drink for this_, as she sat down.

She ordered the same drink she had had the night before, and when it came, she turned around to face to writhing mass of bodies that danced along to the auditions.

After a while the place began to clear out little by little. Carmilla had lost track of time and had downed 2 more drinks after her first.

Deciding that she'd better get up there and get it over before she lost her ability to see straight, Carnilla hopped down from her bar stool and walked over to the sign in table.

"I'm here to sign in" Carmilla grumbled out.

The woman at the table was far too perky and happy for her surroundings. She chirped back a "good for you!" followed by a "here! Just fill out this form for me darlin'"

While Carmilla filled in the basic form, the woman would not _stop TALKING._ The only thing of use or interest that the woman said was that all the contestants could use the amps and effect pedals on the stage.

_That'll be useful, _Carmilla thought as a small smirk crossed her lips. She honestly hadn't used it since she bought her guitar, but it had a port which gave it the ability to be plugged into a amp.

After registering the woman gave her a number tag. She was up next. Swallowing her nerves, Carmilla ran and jumped up the stairs and onto the stage. She went over to the pedals and chose the one she wanted. Plugging in her guitar she turned the volume down as low as it could go so she could check the effects. Satisfied she turned the amps up to near full volume and turned back to the microphone.

She began to play as she walked closer to the closed her eyes and allowed herself to get into the groove of the song. The crowd already began to cheer and clap as they recognized the song.

Then she began to sing:

_I'm here to collect your hearts_

_It's the only reason that I sing_

_I don't believe in what you're saying but I can't stop listening..._

* * *

_Mircalla walked down the stairs with a careful grace befitting a princess. Considering how much money Mother had in the bank, let alone the exorbitant amount just lying around the house, they might as well have been royalty._

_She walked down the second flight of stairs and past the kitchen into the dining room._

_The first thing that Mircalla noticed was that the table was only set for two. _Where's Will? _Mircalla thought as she pulled out her chair. His absence didn't bother her much. If anything, breakfast might end up moving faster than usual allowing Mircalla to get out and onto better things. _

_With a slight shrug of her shoulders, Mircalla sat silently at the table looking around the room._

_The entire house was rather archaic, but the dining room had decor straight out of the Dark Ages. The room was dimly lit by the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, the candles long since replaced with electric lights. The table, despite never having sat more than four people, was at least 15 feet long with 12 chairs plus two more on each end. The chairs had high backs, deep red cushions and dark varnish that matched the table. The silverware and the candlesticks were made of real silver. The eerie feeling permeating the entire room was completed by the fireplace on the far wall. It cast frightening shadows on the nightmarish Gargoyles sitting on their ledges hung on the walls._

_All in all, the room was unsettling and it had been years since Mircalla had felt at home here._

_Just then, Mircalla heard the clicking of heels walking through the foyer and coming towards the dining room. Mircalla turned towards the door and kept her head up but her eyes cast down. She knew better than to look into Mother's eyes unprovoked._

* * *

Laura was pacing the floor anxiously. _Which is weird. Really weird. I barely know her, why do I even care?_

Yet still Laura paced across the floor, her mind running rampant with horrific scenarios of would could happening to her (sort of) new roommate.

Laura's troubled thoughts were interrupted when the phone rang. Picking up her phone from the counter, Laura saw that LaF was calling her.

Laura heard, "hey Frosh" the second she answered. Laura chuckled before saying, "hey LaF, what's up?"

"Well, I think it's a little excessive, but Perry wanted me to call you and ask if you'd be willing to come with us two weeks from now to start planning our wedding. The wedding we don't plan on having until almost a year from now."

Laura chuckles again, "Yea that's Perry for you."

"So, do you think you can come?" LaF asked again.

Laura was staring at the door again and hadn't heard LaF repeat her question. "Of course, I'll be there." Laura said distractedly.

"Great, I'll let her know." After a seconds hesitation LaF asked "hey L, are you ok? You sound a little distressed."

"Huh what?" Laura said having again zoned out.

"Laura what's eating you?"

Finally back in the present, Laura said "It's stupid."

"Talk to me, L." LaF said softly hoping to coax their best friend to confide in them.

"Fine. There was a girl at the bar last night."

Laura heard LaF snort with laughter on the other end before saying."Oh, the one you have a crush on?"

"What?! I do not have a crush on her!"

"Sure you don't. You two were staring at each other basically the entire night."

Laura felt her ears and cheeks warm at the statement. Unable to stop the small smile from spreading across her face she asked "she was watching me?"

"Yes frosh, your crush Ms. Badass in Black was eyeing you too." Laura could hear them trying to control their laughter.

"Ugh I don't have a crush on her!"

"What ever you say. What about her anyway?"

"Well she spent the night at my place last night." Laura said quietly and sheepishly.

"Holy crap Laura! I didn't have you pegged as the kind to have a one night stand." They were blatantly laughing at her now.

"It wasn't a one night stand. I ran into her when I was walking home. She didn't have a place to stay for the night and it was raining." Laura heard LaF's cackling come to an abrupt halt.

"She was going to sleep in the park in the pouring rain. And after spraying her with bear spray, I figured the least I could do was let her stay in my spare room for the night."

"You sprayed her with bear spray? How romantic." LaF dead panned.

"It was an accident!" Laura groaned. "And never mind that. She left a few hours ago and hasn't come back yet."

"So? I thought she was just stating the night?"

"Yeah but she said she'd be back." Knowing LaF was undoubtedly about to make a comment about one night stands again, Laura quickly continued, "and she left like half of her stuff."

"Well, Laur, sounds like she's a big girl who can take care of herself. Don't get so worried."

"I know, I'm trying." Laura said before looking at the door again.

"You totally have a crush on her" LaF said before hanging up without letting Laura respond.

"Uggh" Laura said as she turned away from the door. She pocketed her cell phone and walked over to grabbed her laptop out of her study. She walked past her kitchen and set her laptop on the table.

She was determined to stay up and wait for Carmilla. Might as well get some work done while she did.

Laura sat at her laptop and began to put together the last touches on an article for the local paper.

She made it a whole 10 minutes before going to get cookies out of her kitchen, a personal record.

* * *

_The doors to the dining hall swung open and in strode Mother in all her glory. As always, she was dressed extremely well, not a single hair out of place._

_She came closer and made a slight expression of distaste. "Mircalla, darling, please sit up straight. It's unbecoming to slouch."_

_Mircalla immediately straightened her back while Mother took the last two steps and sat down in her chair at the head of the table. Now seated, Mother snapped her fingers and in rushed servants with hot food._

_Mircalla chuckled, _the lucky idiots must have heard her coming too. _Mother gave Mircalla a stern look. Mircalla swallowed her laughter and arranged her face into a polite smile. A smile that, just as usual, never reached her eyes._

_Only one thing could do that._ _Only one _person _could do that._

I've got to hurry up and get out of here!

_Breakfast was served and it was mostly a blur for Mircalla. She was far too busy eyeing the clock on the far wall. Mother talked endlessly, and while Mircalla did do her best to pay attention so as to respond correctly to questions, most went in one ear and out the other. _

_When it was finally over, Mircalla hastily excused herself and claimed that she had homework to do. Pacified, Mother let her go._

_By this point it had become routine. Walk calmly until she was around the corner. Run up the stairs as fast as she could. Go inside her room and lock the door making sure to leave her stupid "_do not disturb" _sign on the outside handle. (For reasons beyond Mircalla's comprehension, it was the only thing that Mother never challenged)_

_With one last shake of the handle to make sure it was locked, Mircalla grabbed her bag and headed for her window. Opening up all the way, Mircalla climbed out onto the ledge and jumped to the tree limb growing right next to her house._

_The first time she had done this she had fallen and had thankfully only been slightly bruised. But this too had become second nature. Mircalla had climbed down the tree and was running through the forest. _

_Mircalla knew the trail well, didn't even have to look for the logs and knots that used to trip her._

_Her heart raced as she ran, but it wasn't from the exertion. Her heart raced as she thought of who she was running towards._

* * *

If Carmilla was completely honest with herself, to say that her audition had gone "well" would be the biggest understatement of the century. When she walked off the stage she was swarmed with guys and, thankfully, a few girls.

After scaring off the guys, Carmilla went to sit down. The remaining girls all followed Carmilla to the bar and basically tag teamed her. The second she ordered her burger, some girl down the row had payed for it. Whenever she got another drink another girl payed for it. Each drink came with a slip of paper and a number. Girls would wink and smile. Carmilla would just smirk.

_Idiots. Every single one of them. _Carmilla chuckled as she walked down the road back towards Laura's apartment. The walk wasn't long but it was long enough to let her thoughts wander.

She knew she shouldn't stay. She knew that it was in everyone's best interest if she just turned around right now and left. Never saw the blonde woman again. Yet here she was, walking back to her apartment.

It takes a lot to get Carmilla drunk, but she knew she was tipsy. Kinda a dead give away when she couldn't walk in a straight line down the road or up the stairs of Laura's apartment building. But by grasping at the railing with each step, Carmilla made it to Laura's door without incident.

Turning the knob. Carmilla was pleasantly surprised to find that is was unlocked. Given the fact that it was after 2am, Carmilla honestly had expected the tiny girl to be away, asleep in bed with the door locked.

So when Carmilla saw her passed out on the kitchen table beside her laptop, cookies, and a cold cup of cocoa, she couldn't help but chuckle warmly.

Carmilla walked over to the sleeping girl and pulled her hair away from her face. She was adorable, that was the first thing Carmilla had thought when she saw Laura in that bar. But looking at her now, Carmilla saw just how beautiful she was. Her beauty was marred though, because in that moment her face scrunched up and her entire body vibrated.

_The dork is shivering again. _Carmilla sighed before pulling her leather jacket off of her shoulders and wrapping it around Laura. In her sleep, Laura took in a deep breath before reaching to pull the jacket tighter around herself. Her scrunched face melted away to comfortable smile.

The reciprocating smile that crossed Carmilla's face was the first to reach her eyes in many years.

_I don't want to leave_

* * *

The first thing Laura's groggy mind registered was the smell of evergreen trees. Still mostly unconscious, Laura nuzzled her nose into her shoulder and took a deep breath. Laura basically moaned at the pleasant smell. She couldn't fathom why but the mingling scents left Laura feeling safe and secure in her little wrap.

Rising off the table and sitting straight up in her chair, Laura tried to make heads and tails of just where she was. She also wanted to figure out what that smell was.

Her eyes adjusted and she recognized her kitchen table and the leftovers of her editing session the night before. Laura shivered lightly before pulling her blanket tighter around herself.

She again took a deep breath and began to catalog the fragrances coming off of the blanket. The most prominent smell was definitely the evergreen. She could also smell something that could only be described as the first snow of winter and there was just a hint of French vanilla. But there was a third smell, one Laura simply could not identify. It was also the one she enjoyed the most.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Laura brought the blanket up to her nose to enjoy its scent. Though as she held it in her hand, she realized it wasn't a blanket. The object she'd been cocooning herself was a leather jacket. And that elusive smell?

_Carmilla_

Laura's eyes flung wide open in surprise, any semblance of sleep wiped away.

With her eyes still wide as saucers, Laura stood up from her chair an surveyed the kitchen. It was completely spotless, and that included the dirty dishes she had left from dinner the night before.

_I wonder if she's awake yet, I have to thank her for all this, _Laura thought as she turned around and headed up the hallway to Carmilla's room. It's funny how after only a day, the room had already become "Carmilla's" in Laura's mind.

_Not that I really mind one bit, I'd be lying if I said I didnt want her to stay._

Laura hesitated at Carmilla's door. Quite frankly, it was unlikely that the girl was awake.

With one hand, Laura clutched the leather jacket tighter around herself and with the other, she slowly and quietly turned the door knob. Just as she expected the brunette was sound asleep. Laura backed out of the room and ran to her desk. grabbing a post-it note and a pen, Laura ran back to Carmilla's room.

Kneeling next to the bed, Laura put the post-it note down and wrote:

_Dear Carmilla,  
__Thank you for the jacket, kept me nice and warm :)  
__And thank you for cleaning up the kitchen.  
__I hope you sleep well.  
__See you in the morning._

Laura wrote her name at the bottom, and for reasons she simply cannot fathom, she drew a heart over the "i" in Carmilla. She walked out of the room and quietly shut the door behind her. Taking another deep breath and enjoying the smell of Carmilla's jacket, Laura walked away and got ready for her day.

* * *

_Mircalla stood in the front lawn in front of a small light blue house. She fidgeted with her cuffs again, making sure they were on tight and wouldn't fall off. Finally working up her courage, she walked up the steps and knocked on the door. It was soon answered by a short blonde girl. A smile quickly spread across her face._

_Mircalla's smiled rivaled the blonde's.. "Hey Elle, can I come in?"_


End file.
